March Madness post had Bengals fans thinking big-name was signing

Big-name NFL free agent DeAndre Hopkins accidentally caused a ruckus around the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday. Hopkins, probably happily minding his own business and watching his Clemson Tigers in the NCAA tournament, posted a tiger emoji on social media. One problem: It’s the middle of free agency.

Well, two problems: Hopkins used the emoji most commonly used when referencing the Bengals . One can see how things might get hectic on social media. And for those who dismiss the connection because the Bengals already have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as their top weapons for Joe Burrow…careful.

Third wideout is quietly a big need in Cincinnati after Andrei Iosivas underperformed last year and Jermaine Burton didn’t work out. Hopkins, by the way, only signed a one-year deal worth $5 million with Baltimore last year, so he wouldn’t be out of the Bengals’ price range if the two parties had an interest. But that’s probably looking too far into things.

Point is, Hopkins was watching some hoops and so too were Bengals fans, as it turns out: …🐅 — Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) March 20, 2026 Damn you… your March madness tweet got me hyped — Drake Burton (@bengalsdrake) March 20, 2026 This is just a college basketball tweet. Or is it… https://t. co/8Ecmh5IV6D — Drew Garrison (@DrewGarrison) March 20, 2026 Ja’Marr Chase + DHop + Tee Higgins Nobody is stopping that trio 👀👀 — PPRFantasyTips (@PPRFantasyTips) March 20, 2026 This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: March Madness post had Bengals fans thinking big-name was signing